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Washoe County voters have approved a sales tax increase for local public schools, providing what experts anticipate will be $781 million in bonding authority over the next decade, according to unofficial election results at 11 p.m. on Tuesday.

The question passed with nearly 57 percent of the vote.

"More than anything, it means the people of this community care about our children," said Abbi Whitaker, whose public relations firm was contracted by a coalition of local businesses and special-interest groups to lead the vote-yes campaign.

That $781 million is exactly what officials for the Washoe County School District say is needed to renovate existing schools and construct new schools in the overcrowded system of 64,000 students.

The district estimates needing nine new elementary schools, three new middle schools and three new high schools over the next decade. The district, however, won’t be able to build those all at once or right away.

The question now: What will come first?

“We’d honestly get started on those decisions right away,” said Chief Operations Officer Pete Etchart on Tuesday. “There’s a lot to balance here.”

The district’s Capital Funding Protection Committee will meet on Dec. 15 to recommend projects that should be tackled using the first bonds – or loans – taken against future tax revenue, he said. The Washoe County School Board will soon after decide whether to accept the committee’s recommendations or go with other projects.

All revenue from the sales tax increase will go to the district for capital projects. The Washoe County sales tax rate will increase from 7.725 percent to 8.265 percent, eclipsing Clark County as the highest sales tax rate in Nevada. The tax increase is permanent, creating the district’s first sizeable funding source for capital projects like facilities and infrastructure.

Initial projects will likely include a $30 million addition to Damonte Ranch High School, providing 800 seats of classroom space. The school currently has 350 more students than the campus was built to accommodate.

The district also needs to start designing its new elementary and middle schools before construction can start on any new campus, Etchart said.

Even though planning will start immediately for the new funding source, the district likely won’t see a cent in revenue from WC-1 until June, estimates Tom Ciesynski, chief financial officer for the district.

The increased tax rate will likely be implemented in April for consumers, and sales tax collections lag two months behind. Sales tax is charged on most purchases except for necessities like groceries and medical prescriptions.

“I join with our students and their families in applauding the voters’ commitment to education, as evidenced by their passage of this important legislation,” said Traci Davis, superintendent of Washoe public schools.

Passage of WC-1 was far from certain. In the past 20 years, voters shot down five of the seven ballot questions related to public school funding.

Proponents, however, mounted the largest vote-yes campaign in the history of any Washoe County ballot question for school funding, raising $1.4 million.

The vote-no campaign, funded by the Reno-Sparks New Car Dealers Association, spent only $32,500 to defeat WC-1.